


Pretty Paladin Sailor Moon

by Starrie_Wolf



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sailor Moon Fusion, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Loosely inspired by Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love, Shiro as the Paladin of Love and Beauty, Slav as the Guardian of Space-Time, Voltron Gen Mini Bang 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-08 18:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11651874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrie_Wolf/pseuds/Starrie_Wolf
Summary: Saving the world, Allura reflected, was a lot likeherding cats.And no,she was NOT a cat!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> With many thanks to [bleventeen](bleventeen.tumblr.com) for the art, and the mods of Voltron Gen Mini Bang 2017 for a great event!

“They keep repeating one word: Voltron.” Pidge shaped the unfamiliar word carefully, but there was no hesitation in his voice. “And tonight, it’s going crazier than I have _ever_ heard it.”

“Voltron?” Lance scratched his head. “Sounds like some kind of 90s cartoon.”

Wait, he could have sworn he’d just heard an echo –

“Uhh, guys?” Hunk asked, very tentatively. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“If what you’re seeing is a talking cat,” Pidge began slowly, lifting up his glasses to rub at his eyes, “then yes, Hunk. We’re seeing exactly what you’re seeing.”

“Oh, good,” Hunk said with obvious relief, “because that means I’m not hallucinating – wait. Wait wait wait, there really are aliens out there?”

“Yes,” the black cat informed him primly. It – she? – sat there, right on the concrete roof, staring at the three of them with luminescent eyes. There was a weird white patch in the middle of her forehead, in the shape of an upturned crescent moon. “Also, I’m not a cat.”

“An animatronic doll?” wondered Pidge, eyes sparkling. “Man, I wonder how it works. I don’t see any wires anywhere.” He reached out, like he was going to grab the cat and forcibly dismantle it to see how it worked.

The cat inched away from Pidge, just a little bit. Smart kitty. Robot-kitty? Ro-beast?

“I am Princess Allura of Altea,” She sat down on her haunches, keeping a wary eye on Pidge, “and I require your help.”

“What’s an altea? Can you eat it?”

“Cats have princesses?”

Pidge shoved his glasses up his nose. “Given the co-development of domestic felines alongside humankind –”

“I AM NOT A CAT.” Allura retracted her claws with some difficulty, though Lance’s next words made her wish she could rake them over his face, maybe that would get them to _listen to her_.

“Oh! Then are you a princess who got trapped in a cat’s body by an evil witch?”

“Lance…” Hunk said slowly, unknowingly saving him from Allura’s wrath, “I think you’ve been watching too much _The Princess and the Frog_.”

“Oh.” Lance’s face fell. “I guess, yeah. I did have to watch that every single day with my little sisters this summer.”

If only she didn’t _need_ them quite this much –

“Something evil draws near…” she told them, trying to instil a sense of urgency into her voice. “I can sense it.”

“Are you…” Pidge paused thoughtfully, “quoting _Lord of the Rings_?”

Nevermind. _Surely_ she could do without them for a little longer, wait for them to be reincarnated; an Earthling’s lifespan was but the blink of an eye to an Altean, surely the Paladins couldn’t be _this_ frustrating every generation –

“Attention students: this is not a drill. We are on lockdown. Security situation Zulu Niner.”

Her three Paladins exchanged baffled looks.

“What’s a Zulu Niner?”

“I don’t know,” said Lance. “Why are you asking me?”

“Nobody’s asking you,” retorted Pidge, “You can’t even differentiate between a gearbox and a toolbox.”

“What’s _that_ got to do with –”

“– so it’s obvious,” Pidge said equally loudly, “that you didn’t read the textbook.”

Allura wanted to cry, or maybe tear out her hair, but she’d look even worse as a cat with bald patches. She’d waited so long, _so long_ , for this moment, for the first time since Altea’s demise when more than half the Paladins were gathered in the same time and space, but –

They were _children_.

“Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice.”

The loudspeaker crackled into silence, Iverson’s voice fading away.

“What’s going on?” asked Hunk, looking around everywhere, even peering down the roof. “Zulu is, like, what, an invasion? Or a UFO?” He scratched his head. “I don’t remember, all I know is that the cafeteria’s closed during a Zulu alarm, so I kept a stash of snacks handy – but they’re all back in my room.” He sighed, drooping.

His stomach grumbled in agreement.

“I don’t know,” said Pidge when all three of them stared expectantly at him. “I didn’t read that part of the textbook.”

 _An invasion_.

She couldn’t wait any longer, if that was true. She was running out of time.

“Wait. Is that… a meteor?”

Pidge snatched up his infra-red night vision binoculars. “It's a ship!” he shouted.

Lance grabbed the binoculars from him, just to be sure, but it was exactly as Pidge had said. “Holy crow!” he yelped, just as Hunk yanked the binoculars from his grip to see for himself. “That’s not one of ours.”

“No, it’s one of _theirs_.”

“Whose?”

“ _Theirs_ ,” stressed Allura. Her tail lashed in agitation. Without opposable thumbs, she couldn’t snatch the binoculars for herself, but that was no meteor she’d ever seen in her (very long) life.

They were all out of time.

“Who’s them?”

“The _Galra_ ,” Allura bit out.

“Ohhhh…” Lance said in a tone of dawning realisation. “Uh…” he whispered to Hunk beside him, “who’s that again?”

“I have no idea,” Hunk whispered back.

“Genghis Khan?” suggested Pidge.

“Never mind that,” Allura sighed. If cats could put their heads in their paws, she’d probably have done it. “The fate of your planet is at stake.” She rose delicately onto all four paws, tail held high. “We must hurry.”

The three of them stared at each other as Allura trotted towards the stairwell.

Pidge shrugged, slinging his pack onto his back. “I was going to check out that ship anyway.”

Lance pursed his lips, but hurried after the two of them anyway. “Come on, Hunk.”

“What even is going on?” wondered Hunk out loud, before he looked around, and realised that the rooftop was now empty. “Wait for me!”

☆☆☆☆☆

_“Hey! What’re you doing?”_

_“Calm down, Shiro. We just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests.”_

_“You have to listen to me! Aliens are coming!”_

“That’s Shiro!” exclaimed Lance, leaning over so far, his nose was practically plastered to Pidge’s laptop screen. “The pilot of Apollo 11! That guy’s my hero!”

_“Do you know how long you've been gone?”_

_“I don’t know.”_ Even through the tiny screen, Shiro’s distress was obvious. _“Days? Weeks? Look, there’s no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They’re probably on their way. They’ll destroy us. We have to find Voltron.”_

The four of them gave each other wide-eyed looks. “Voltron!”

“Well, okay, now I believe you.” Lance pointed at Allura. “Even my hero says Voltron is our only hope, so it must be true.”

“That’s good,” said Allura vaguely, trying to get a closer look at the screen. She batted a paw at it, hoping it’d rotate to give her a better view of the room this _Shiro_ was in, but it was a lost cause. “Is Earth technology all so primitive? Why’s everything only two-dimensional? Where are your holographic projectors?”

_“Sir, his vitals are spiking dangerously.”_

_“Put him under until we know what happened.”_

_“No. No. No – no – don’t put me under! No! There’s no time! Let me go!”_

Pidge scowled, pushing up his glasses. “They didn't ask about the rest of the crew.”

“What are they doing?” Lance yelped. “The guy’s a legend, they're not even gonna listen to him?”

“We have to get him out.”

“Uh,” Hunk was the first to break the silence, in the wake of Allura’s proclamation. “I hate to be the voice of reason here, as always, but weren’t we watching on TV because there’s no way to get past the guards?”

Allura swished her tail in agitation. “If this Shiro has indeed escaped from the Galra, he could hold valuable information.” She peered over the rocks they were hiding behind, but Lance couldn’t see how they were going to –

“We need a distraction,” he muttered aloud.

As though his words were a prophecy, explosions sounded in the distance, thankfully loud enough to cover their screams of fright.

“I-is that the, the aliens? Are they here?”

“No.” Pidge got back up, peering through his binoculars. “Those explosions were a distraction – for him.” He pointed at an incoming trail of dust that resolved into a red-and-white hoverbike, swerving behind an outcrop right next to the quarantine shelter. “The Garrison’s headed towards the blast, and he’s sneaking in from the other side.”

Lance snatched the binoculars from him again, ignoring Pidge’s annoyed yelp. “No way,” he snarled, scrambling down the rocks. “Oh, he is _not_ going to beat us in there!”

“Who?” yelled Hunk, gingerly picking his way down at a much more sedate pace. Pidge was rushing to repack all his equipment, while Allura simply jumped off the cliff and landed on her feet like the cat she insisted she wasn’t.

“That guy is _always_ trying to one-up me!” Lance shouted back, as though that was some kind of answer.

Hunk understood him, though. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, I’d recognise that mullet _anywhere_!”

☆☆☆☆☆

The restraints were too strong.

Shiro thrashed, his prosthetic arm whirring madly, but the Garrison had evidently decided to err on the side of caution.

He couldn’t break free.

The Garrison medic came closer, eyes fixed on the syringe he was flicking, no doubt some kind of injectable anaesthesia, and there was nothing he could do –

The door flung open.

“Keith,” breathed Shiro.

“Shiro!” shouted Keith, rushing into the room. The medic stopped moving, eyes going comically wide, and then they rolled up into the back of his head as he collapsed.

The syringe dropped to the ground, forgotten.

“Keith!”

“ _Shiro_!”

“ _Keith_!”

“Lance!”

Keith blinked.

Lance blinked back. “What?”

“You’re not supposed to yell your own name. That’s against the rules of the game,” explained Keith.

“Oh,” Lance said. He turned around, yelling out of the door. “Hunk!”

A voice came floating back down the corridor. “Huh? What?”

Keith frowned. “Hunk?”

“Oh, hey Keith.” Hunk came into view, doubled over, gasping for breath after the mad dash through the quarantine station. “Hey Shiro.”

“Hello?” Shiro blinked. “Do I know –”

“Shiro!” Pidge burst into the room like a miniature hurricane, making a beeline for the examination table and ignoring everything else. “Shiro. Where’s Matt? Where is my family?”

“Your family?” echoed three confused voices.

Closing his mouth, Shiro shook his head slowly. “I – I don’t know. I wasn’t with them – they went out for some lunar samples while I was still tuning the landing craft, and then there was… an explosion?” he closed his eyes, brows furrowing, “I ran out, there was a – woman? Sounded like a woman, but her hair was everywhere, she couldn’t have been human, I remember thinking, _she’s not suited up, how’s she alive, how’s she talking_ – there was a lot of yelling, she kept asking me where Voltron was, but I don’t know anything –”

“Haggar.”

Allura leapt through the window, picked her way daintily over an assortment of sharp instruments, and settled on one of the medical monitors previously hooked up to Shiro. “That was Haggar,” she repeated, looking about as grim as a cat was capable of looking.

Pidge scowled darkly, running a hand through his hair distractedly. “Then how did you get back?”

“It’s a – it’s all a blur. They put me in a cell, but one of them – I don’t know why, he unlocked the door when nobody’s looking, dumped me into that weird-looking escape pod, told me to go find Voltron before _she_ does.” Shiro sighed. “I didn’t see Matt or Commander Holt at all, but I promise you, I’ll find them.”

Keith laid a hand on his shoulder. “ _We’ll_ find them.”

No one spoke for a long moment, until Hunk’s awkward cough broke the silence.

“You… don’t seem surprised by the talking cat.”

Shiro shrugged, as much as he could while still lying down. “After being held prisoner by giant furry purple aliens who don’t need air to survive – or speak – what’s a talking cat or two?”

“Well said!”

A shadow leapt through the window Allura had used, landed on the unfortunate Garrison medic, and struck a pose.

“Coran!”

“Coran?” repeated Hunk.

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out, now.” Coran changed his pose. The highly unfortunate medic under his feet groaned and then continued pretending to be dead. “They also call me ‘The Coranic’, because it sounds like ‘mechanic’, well – it doesn’t sound… exactly like it. It’s similar.”

“Sounds more like the Titanic,” Pidge muttered softly.

Lance snickered, but they apparently weren’t quiet enough.

“What’s that?”

“A tragedy,” Keith informed him, casually twirling a knife between his fingers. Nobody was quite sure where he got it from, and nobody wanted to ask. “So, what kind of alien are you?”

Coran gasped, staggering backwards. “Quiznak, how could you tell?” He stared down at himself, tugging on his moustache. “Upright, skin a sickly shade of beige, fur atop the head, bipedal movement – the standard configurations for an Earthling…”

“Humans don’t have bright orange hair and pointy ears,” Pidge said flatly. “Also, human males don’t normally wear dresses.”

Coran whipped out a notebook, peering with interest at the humans scattered around the room. “Ahhh. No robes. Got it.”

☆☆☆☆☆

“You mentioned something about Galra,” Shiro prompted.

Allura hopped onto Coran’s head, her gaze sweeping over the five of them. “I am Princess Allura of Altea, and I _need_ your help.” She waited another tick, but for once, everyone was blessedly silent. Seemed like she could finish her introduction after all. “A long, long time ago, the planet you now call the Moon was known as Altea. Back then, the forests were lush with greenery, and the valleys were covered with juniberries during the summers…” her voice trailed off.

Pidge raised a hand. “Can we have the Wikipedia summary?”

If looks could kill, Pidge would probably have died a trillion times over. “The Alteans were blessed with longevity, and we were marked by our beautiful silver hair, like your friend Shiro here. It’s also why that era of prosperity and happiness was called the Silver Millennium –”

“I think that’s called premature greying,” mused Lance.

Allura ignored him. “– so Shiro, you may have Altean blood in you.”

“Uh, I don’t think so.” Shiro paused thoughtfully. “I think it’s just the stress. My hair was totally black before I went to the Moon.”

“Though you’ve still got that weird tuft in the middle of your forehead like you’re an animé character.”

“Keith… buddy… you really don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to criticising other people’s hairstyles.”

“CAN EVERYONE SHUT UP FOR A TICK!”

There was a pause, which made Allura very happy. Just as she was about to continue –

“How long’s a tick?” asked Pidge.

For the first time since she awoke from cryosleep, Allura was glad she was trapped in this quadruped body. At least it meant she couldn’t rip out her beautiful silver hair.

“Guys, let the Princess finish.”

Shooting Shiro a grateful look, Allura continued her story. “But then, Zarkon came. He wanted an Empire that would cover the known universe, and by his side was a very powerful Druid, who drew her very power from the Quintessence of the planet itself. It took us all we had just to defeat Zarkon, but the damage was done. Altea had become what you see today – a barren wasteland.”

She gazed out of the window, where the full moon hung in the night sky.

“Without Quintessence, Haggar was severely weakened, but we weren’t any better off. Altea was _destroyed_ , our people sent to safety on Earth, and – there was nothing I could do, no way I could help. My father tied the Lions of Voltron to my life force, so that I may always be able to find the new Paladins, no matter what guise they take.”

Allura stood up, meeting each of their eyes. In that moment, bathed in the soft moonlight, she almost looked like she was wearing a crown.

“And now, in this darkest hour, I have finally found you. One pheeb ago, Haggar broke free of the seal that has been keeping her away for the past ten thousand Earth years, and she intends to resurrect Zarkon. I now ask of you, neo-Paladins of Voltron, will you stand with me, and _finish this_ once and for all?”

Her eyes swept over the five of them, but before any of them could say a single word –

“ _Yes_ , _Princess_!”

Allura twitched.

The next moment, Coran went flying out of the window, until he was just a tiny speck in the night sky.

“Holy crow,” said Lance. “Will you marry me?”

“As I was _saying_ ,” Allura continued primly like she didn’t hear Lance, “Voltron is made up of five Paladins.” She pulled out five sparkling sceptres, each a different colour, out of nowhere. Each of them was topped with a heart-shaped crown holding a gemstone.

Lance snatched up the blue one immediately. “My favourite colour! Blue, I choose you!”

“As expected of our noble princess!” Coran shouted through the window. Nobody knew how he got back that fast. “Just a couple of quintents, and you have already found all the Paladins!”

Allura idly considered drop-kicking him again. It must have been the cat’s body; usually he’d take longer to get back. “Indeed. Well, Paladins, here are your Lions.”

The five newly-christened ‘Paladins’ stared down at the sticks on the table, and then back at Allura again.

“Lions,” repeated Pidge flatly.

“These are… wands, right?” Keith asked uncertainly.

“I think they’re sceptres, or maybe bayards,” said Hunk thoughtfully. “They definitely aren’t _lions_.”

“Well,” Shiro said reasonably. “I don’t think there are any cats, big or small, on the moon. Maybe her Universal Translator’s broken, or maybe it’s a pronunciation thing.”

“Could be,” agreed Allura. “It _has_ been a long time since we did maintenance on the translators.”

“A lion-wand? Sceptre-lion? Liand? Waion? Leptre –”

Four people, one alien, and one cat shot Lance a look.

“Let’s just stick to lion.”

“So these… _Lions_ ,” Keith made to grab the blue one, which was closest to him. “They’re –”

“Wait –”

Before either of them could finish, though, Keith snatched his hand back, narrowly missing the arc of electricity that shot out from the end of the sceptre.

“Hey!” Lance held it protectively closer to his chest. “Go get your own!”

“As you have found, the lions choose their Paladins. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced,” explained Allura. “The Quintessence of the Paladin is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain.”

“Magic is just technology that science hasn’t been able to explain yet,” Pidge interrupted, but Allura simply handed her the green wand.

“– Mercury has an inquisitive personality and needs a soldier of intellect and daring. That is why, Pidge, you will become the Paladin of Nature and Wisdom.” Allura picked up the red ~~lion~~ wand next. “Mars is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It activates faster and is more versatile than the others, but also more unstable. Its Paladin needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. Keith, you will be the Paladin of Fire and Passion. Moon –”

“Hold up,” interjected Lance, twirling his sparkling blue Leptre. “Let me guess. Takes the most handsome slash best fighter of the bunch?”

“Not quite, but close!” Coran clapped, beaming at Lance. “The Moon’s title is the Paladin of Love and Justice.”

Lance blinked twice, and then a grin stretched across his face and he shot Coran finger guns. “I’ll take that.”

“– Jupiter is caring and kind. Its Paladin is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the backbone of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together. Hunk,”

Hunk grunted questioningly as he accepted the yellow ~~lion~~ sceptre and his title of ‘Paladin of Thunder and Courage’.

“And last but not least, Venus is the face of Voltron. It will take a Paladin who is a born idol and a part of the crowd at all times –”

“Wait, _what_?” Lance fell over.

“– that is why, Shiro, you will become the Paladin of Love and Beauty.”

“Cool,” said Shiro. “Can someone untie me?”


	2. Chapter 2

 “You want us to do what?” Lance screeched, giving the sparkling blue wand in his hand an incredulous look.

“No no no.” Allura swiped at him with a paw, tail flicking in agitation. “You have to hold out your wand up high, and then shout it, like this.” She took a huge breath, and then belted out at a deafening pitch.

“MOON CRYSTAL COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP!”

All the windows nearby, those that weren’t broken when Coran went crashing through them earlier, shattered.

The Paladins stared at each other.

“Uh, Shiro,” Keith coughed. “As the leader of Voltron, how about you demonstrate for us?”

“Sure,” said Shiro, who was now freed of his restraints.

Lance’s jaw dropped. “You’re okay with _this_?”

Shiro shrugged, rotating his shoulder. “I’ve done worse things for the Garrison media circus before the Moon Landing.” He stretched out his arm, raising his lion up in the air.

“Higher,” instructed Allura.

“ _VENUS CRYSTAL COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP_!” he bellowed.

The wand shivered, the gemstone at the tip glittering in the moonlight, and then streaks of light _exploded_ around Shiro, wreathing him in flashes so bright the rest of them had to look away, lest they go blind.

Keith shielded his eyes with one hand. “Shiro?” he called, uncertainly.

“I’m okay.” Shiro lifted his prosthetic arm up, examining the white glove now stretched over his metal fingers, looking like it was going to burst at the seams at any moment. “I… think this is a size too small.”

Allura hopped closer, looking from his left hand, to his right. “I don’t think the Transformation Magic realises your hands are of two different sizes.” She tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Shiro agreed. “Can I take the other one off, or will it disrupt the balance of the universe?”

“I have no idea,” Allura replied. “Coran?”

Coran tugged on his neon-orange moustache. “It’s time to hit the history books! Good thing I’ve got a copy right here –” he whipped out an enormous encyclopaedia twice the size of Allura’s entire body out of his pocket, completely destroying the laws of physics and logic in the process.

Allura, too, magicked out a pair of reading glasses and propped them on her nose. “The rest of you, now that you have seen the demonstration, start transforming while we look it up.”

“Are we just not going to talk about the fact that he’s now wearing… what the heck _is_ that, half a skirt?” wondered Hunk.

“And booty shorts,” agreed Lance.

They all took a moment to admire Shiro’s bare legs in calf-high black boots.

Shiro spun in a little circle, looking down at said half-skirt. “It’s surprisingly comfortable,” he reassured them. “Now, who’s going next?”

“All right,” Keith said, raising his arm, but before he could shout out the magic words Lance raised his arm too.

“No, it’s my turn!”

“Mine!”

“ _Mine_!”

Pidge shoved his glasses up his nose. “Guess I’ll do it first, then.” He raised his arm, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. “MERCURY CRYSTAL COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP!”

Lance smacked Keith’s arm down. “It’s definitely _my turn_ next!”

Not to be out-done, Keith grabbed Lance’s arm too.

“Umm… Jupiter Crystal Cosmic Power… Make-up!”

“Louder, Hunk,” Shiro encouraged.

Hunk shut his eyes, thrusting his arm straight up. “JUPITER CRYSTAL COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP!”

“Here’s an option: shut your quiznak and let me do it!”

“I don’t think you’re using that word correctly.”

“What do you know, Mullet?”

“ _Both of you_ ,” snapped Allura, shoving her reading glasses back wherever it came from. “Just do it _together_.”

“With _him_?” They went back to glaring daggers at each other.

Shiro sighed heavily, stepping between the two of them and yanking both their arms up. “On the count of three, one, two –”

“MARS CRYSTAL –”

“MOON CRYSTAL –”

“– COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP!”

A few flashes of light later, they were back to yelling at each other.

“He said on the count of _three_ , not two –”

“So what, don’t act like you didn’t jump the gun –”

“ATTEN- _TION_!”

Shiro kneaded at his brow, staring down the four cadets who’d jumped to salutes almost automatically. “Keith, Lance, any more fighting, and it’s fifty push-ups for the each of you.” Seeing them about to open their mouths, he added, “ _No matter_ who started it.”

And there was finally sweet silence.

“At ease,” Shiro finally said, when it looked like no one was about to say anything else.

Keith’s hand immediately went to the top of his head. “Why do I have a hair band?”

Lance took one look at Shiro’s raised eyebrow, and discreetly shut his mouth.

Shiro nodded at Allura, stepping back. As he did so, his reflection flashed past one of the metal cabinets right opposite, and he frowned, lifting his mechanic arm up to act as a makeshift mirror. “I thought I was the Black Paladin… why’s my eyeshadow purple?” He clicked his tongue and lowered his arm. “I don’t think this is my colour. Princess, do you have spare eyeliner?”

“… no?”

“Coran?” he asked hopefully.

“I’m afraid not.” Coran shook his head solemnly, tugging on a whisker. “What you see here on The Coranic is _au naturel_.”

“Oh…” Shiro drooped, studying his reflection sadly.

“Uh.” Hunk said slowly, staring out of the door. “Guys, I hate to break it to you, but –”

Keith’s response was curt. “Then don’t break it.”

“You’ve _already_ broken something?” Alarmed, Allura leapt onto his shoulder.

“Um, no… no no I, uh, I mean… shouldn’t we do something about –”

Keith spun around suddenly. “We have company.” Without another word, he rushed out of the room, and the sounds of metal hitting metal rang out. The Garrison staff must have finally come back from the diversion earlier.

“That was what I was about to say!” Hunk yelled at his back.

Shiro perked up suddenly. “Do you think they’ll have eyeliner?” He, too, rushed out of the room, followed shortly by the other three Paladins.

Coran followed at a much more sedate pace, Allura riding on his shoulder. “Princess, are you sure about this?” Coran murmured, softly enough that the newly-crowned Paladins wouldn’t be able to hear him. “They aren’t exactly the best and brightest the universe has to offer.”

Allura’s ears twitched. “No.” She sighed, watching Lance chase Keith around, threatening to skewer him with his lion and completely ignoring the fighter droids advancing on them, demanding their surrender. “But they’re all we’ve got.”

☆☆☆☆☆

The world _trembled_ , like the pulse of an immense heartbeat, a riptide through the air.

Allura bristled, clinging onto Coran’s shoulder, clawing digging like little pinpricks through his shirt.

The rest of them weren’t as fortunate. Lance yelped as he went crashing into Pidge, who fell onto Keith, and Hunk didn’t manage to get out of the way in time so they all collapsed onto Shiro like a stack of toppling dominoes.

“What – what _is_ that?” asked Lance shakily, amidst grunts and complaints.

Allura tipped her face up, staring unseeingly at the full moon in the night sky. “Something that should not have been broken was undone.” She surveyed the five of them like a general inspecting her troops. “There is no time to waste – Haggar has begun the Ritual, we must make for the Moon.”

“Okay…” Lance said slowly, eyes travelling from the full moon in the sky to the sand dunes all around them. “How’re we gonna do that?”

“Uh, you know, there’s _three_ pilots here,” Pidge said slowly. “Galaxy Garrison-certified spacecraft pilots. You know, the best astronaut school in the world?”

“ _Two_! Keith never graduated!” insisted Lance, but nobody paid him any attention, not even to point out the hypocrisy in that statement.

“– so we could just grab a Garrison craft and fly to the Moon.”

“There’s no time, your primitive Earth vehicles are far too slow.” Allura shook her head, still riding on Coran’s shoulder. “We must make use of the Castle of Lions.”

“Oh joy,” Hunk muttered, twirling his sceptre absently. “I hope it doesn’t wobble like an Earth spacecraft does, I just had a snack.”

“Come along now, it’s not far away!” Coran told them all brightly, pointing at a cave in the distance.

☆☆☆☆☆

“What – the _hell_ is this?”

“The Castle of Lions!” introduced Coran, beaming at the Paladins and completely misunderstanding the reason for their gaping. “I know, I know, it’s _such_ a marvel of engineering, the absolute _pinnacle_ of technology on Altea when it was created 10,600 Earth years ago – ah, how I wish I could have been there –”

“What’s this?” asked Pidge, pointing at part of the ‘castle’.

“That’s the Hyperspeed Particulate Accelerator. Guaranteed to get you where you want in no more than a varga!”

Keith poked at a different part. “And this?”

“The Space-Time Inter-Dimensional Coordinates Tuning Mechanism!”

“And that?” asked Hunk.

“The Plexiglass Viewport, perfect for all your space-time-dimension travel needs!”

Lance finally found his voice. “ _But why do these just look like a Guitar Hero ensemble with a Stepmania dance mat?!_ ”

“What’s that?” asked Coran.

Pidge frowned down at his phone. “I’d Google it for you to see, but I can’t get a signal out here.”

“So… how do we use – I mean, activate the Castle of Lions?”

Allura waved a paw at the contraption-that-looked-like-a-music-rhythm-game. “The five of you must take your positions, and let your minds be _one_.”

The five Paladins stared first at the pile of music instruments, and then the three-by-three dance mat with eight clearly labelled arrow keys, and finally at each other.

“I guess we’re supposed to sing a song. And dance.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“All right.” Shiro sighed, picking up one of the ~~Space-Time Whatever Coordinates Thingamajig~~ guitars. It was definitely a guitar; it even came with a strap. “Guys, let’s do this. To save the world.”

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose as his sparkling red wand turned into a microphone, wearing an expression like he was walking to his execution. “It’s been an honour knowing you guys.”

“Yeah,” agreed Hunk, taking up his position behind the ~~Hyperspeed Whatchamacallit Accelerator~~ drums. With an idle swish, his own wand turned into a pair of drumsticks. “Oh, hey, cool!” He tapped experimentally on a drum.

“No no no we can’t go on like this.” Lance turned around, glaring at each of them in turn. “Come on! We’re saving the world! We’ve got to at least have a cheer! I say _Vol_ , you say –”

Keith furrowed his brow at the sparkling blue microphone currently invading his personal space. “Er… Voltron?”

Lance stared at him. “Okay, nevermind that.” He stepped into the centre of the dance mat and struck a pose. “Team Voltron, the universe’s best boy band, let’s _rock_!”

“Actually,” Pidge coughed, “I’m a girl.”

Keith blinked.

Hunk grinned, looking up from the drums he was fiddling with. “Yeah, I figured.”

“W-w-wha… you’re a, a _girl_?! How?!”

“Wait, we were supposed to think you were a boy?” asked Coran with much confusion.

“It’s good to own who you are, Pidge.”

Pidge sighed, smiling back at them. “It’s good to get _that_ off my chest. Now, let’s launch this Castle-ship!” She ran a finger over the keys of her synthesizer. “So, what song are we doing?”

“Don’t tell me,” Lance jumped in. “ _Fall Out Boy_ or _My Chemical Romance_?”

Keith blinked, twice. “Sure. _Fall Out Boy_ or _My Chemical Romance_?”

Lance buried his face in his hands. “Can you _be_ any more emo?”

“Um.” Keith scratched his head. “I could try?”

“No!” Lance waved his hands frantically, almost stepping off the mat, until a very pointed cough from Shiro made him stop. “No no no no no, _do not_ _try_.”

“ _Guys_.” Shiro strummed a few chords, pleased to note that the pair of them immediately turned back to their own assignments. “On the count of three – _really_ three this time, please: one, two, three!”

_“Put on your war paint.”_

Lance almost jumped in shock when the – what did Coran call it, The Something Viewport? – lit up, and arrows began flashing in quick succession across the screen. He was suddenly very thankful for all the time he spent on the Para Para Dance Machine at the arcade.

_“No I think it looked a little better on me –”_

The keyboard whirred like a mechanical beast under her fingers, and Pidge frowned, but she didn’t stop playing. _Couldn’t_ stop playing, like there was an invisible force urging her on, urging them all on, racing to a finale –

“Uh guys, it’s vibrating…” Hunk called out, but his voice was lost amidst the chorus.

_“Then I’ll raise you, like a phoenix!”_

With a shudder, the ground beneath them began rising up – no, now that the ground was falling away beneath their feet it was obvious they were standing on something transparent, something that had been buried in the ground for who knew how long –

(Coran: Sorry Princess, I forgot to dust.)

– and with a loud boom they were hurtling away, faster than sound, towards the Moon.

“Team Voltron’s blasting off again!”

If they had the breath to, either Keith or Pidge would certainly have commented on Lance’s (famous) last words, but they were far too busy trying to force precious air into their lungs to say anything. These ‘Paladin suits’ clearly weren’t as protective as Allura and Coran said they were. Or maybe they just weren’t protective for human bodies; Coran seemed perfectly fine, what little of him Pidge could see from the corner of her eye.

Hunk kind of wanted to throw up. He was very glad the immense pressure made it literally impossible for him to do so.

Shiro only hoped their make-up was inertia-proof.

The Moon grew alarmingly bigger, the pockmarked surface revealing itself to be a series of mountains higher than Everest and valleys deeper than Mariana Trench. Just as they were all beginning to wonder if they were going to be aiding in the formation of a few more craters, the Castle of Lions began decelerating, finally coming to a stop on one of the plateaus.

“Never again,” moaned Hunk, clutching at his stomach.

Pidge and Lance immediately started moving discreetly away, eyeing Hunk suspiciously. Everyone else, too, was too busy kissing the ground at first to realise they weren’t alone.

“ _Galra_ ,” hissed Allura, fluffing up her fur.

“Galra?” Pidge was on her feet in an instant, wand held aloft. “Tell me where my family is!”

“Pidge, wait!”

The Galran in the lead twitched his ears, side-stepping Pidge’s lunge easily. They couldn’t see his face under the mask, but his tone was dismissive. “Leave. This is no concern of yours, Earthlings.”

“Yeah?” demanded Lance, waving his wand. To his great surprise, a shower of blue sparks came shooting out of the tip, like it was an energy rifle of some sort.

“Careful, he’s faster than an angry klanmüirl!” shouted Coran. Allura quivered on his shoulder, ready to pounce, but she held herself in check. There was very little she could do in her current body.

Lance yelped, diving to the side as one of the other two Galrans rushed him, knife in hand.

“But he can jump like a sprightly globinheffer!”

“Why does the translator not screw up _those_ words?” wondered Pidge, even as she charged back towards them, turning the fight into a two-on-three. “Come back here!”

“Somebody's as mad as a wet chüper!”

“Coran,” moaned Lance, skedaddling out of range. “ _you’re not helping_.”

Pidge ducked again, narrowly avoiding several more shots. “ _Hunk_! Watch where you’re aiming!”

“Huh? Oh, sorry!”

“Coming your way, Number Four!” advised Coran, as a third Galran went for Keith.

“Copy that. I’m ready.”

Keith stepped into a ready stance, and the lion-thing in his hands _lengthened_ , light wrapping like ribbons around a newly-formed hilt. He had perhaps a second or so to test the heft of it, get used to the weight, and then there was a glowing purple sword slashing down at him.

“Wait. _Stop_.”

All three Galrans took a step back, lowering their weapons half a fraction. “What is it, Ulaz?” asked the first one, the one who had so quickly dismissed them at the start.

“Shiro, is that you?”

Shiro stood his ground, prosthetic raised defensively. “Who are you?”

“You don’t remember?” wondered the Galran he’d been fighting. Slowly, he raised his hands to his head, and deactivated his face-mask. “I am –”

“ _Oh_.”

“Shiro,” Allura demanded, “Who is this?”

Shiro blew out a long breath, finally lowering his arm. “This is the Galran who set me free.”

“You’ve come back.”

“Do you know where my family is?” asked Pidge urgently, staring from one Galran to the other. “The other two who came with Shiro, that’s my dad and my brother.”

With one last thoughtful look at Shiro, Ulaz turned to her. “They were with Haggar the last I saw them, at the site where your astrocraft had landed. She may have taken them with her.”

Pidge gritted her teeth. Her knuckles were white where they clutched at her lion.

“Princess,” Coran said gently.

She knew why he was asking. They both knew who the three of them were.

Kolivan of Saturn, the leader, also better known as the Blade of Destruction and Silence. Ulaz of Uranus, whose pale lavender skin and pointed ears gave away his mixed lineage, was the Blade of Sky and Flight. And the one who’d been silent this whole time, Thace of Neptune, was the Blade of Ocean and Embrace.

The three Blades of Marmora, the Galran members of the Alliance.

She _hated_ Zarkon. But she couldn’t deny that they needed the aid, not when Voltron was comprised of five Earthling _children_ who’d never been trained for this, not like they had.

Allura heaved a sigh, and sat down primly on her haunches.

“I am sure you are aware Haggar must have started the Resurrection Ritual. She will be at the Space-Time Dimension Door, and I do not know how long Pluto can hold her back.” The three Blades were silent, not a single flicker of surprise from any of them. She hadn’t expected anything else. “An alliance once existed between Galra and Altea,” she admitted, ignoring the sharp inhales of surprise from the Paladins. “Long ago, we fought, and died together. I am now asking you to honour your allegiance.”

“ _Stop quoting_ Lord of the Rings!”

☆☆☆☆☆

However long Pluto had been able to hold her back, it wasn’t enough.

She’d hoped…

The Space-Time Dimension Door lay wide open in front of her, grey mist seeping eerily through the open door, tendrils beckoning like invitations. For a moment, she _ached_ to step through it, to go back to a time when Altea was flourishing, to _warn_ them of the dangers –

But no, that way lay madness. There was a reason nobody ever messed with time and space.

Just look at Slav.

The Guardian of Spacetime and Change lay in a crumpled heap against the far wall, one of his hands still loosely clinging onto his bayard. Even from afar, Allura could see the cracks running through the gemstone, the only sign that there had been a struggle.

“He’s just unconscious,” reported Thace, getting up.

“Haggar has succeeded, then. Zarkon is back.” Kolivan turned away from the Door, taking a few steps away from it. “What will you do, Princess Allura?”

Allura shook herself, forcibly wrenching her own eyes from the Door. “I must consult with my father.”

“Princess –”

Allura shook her head, interrupting Shiro. “The Inner Sanctum of Silver Millennium will not permit anyone not of full Altean blood to enter; Coran and I must go alone.”

“I’m going to the original Moon Landing site.” Pidge stared each of them down, as though daring any of them to stop her. “Dad and Matt can’t have _vanished_ , there must be some way we can track where Haggar took them.”

“Then we’re coming with you.”

“We will continue our search for Haggar on the dark side of the moon.” Ulaz laid a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “May the Constellations gaze upon and your companions.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Father! Father, it is so good to see you.”

She stretched out a paw, shaking.

“Allura, my dear child,” breathed Alfor. “How I have missed your face.”

“I’m so frightened,” Allura whispered, putting her paw down before she could touch the hologram, before she could be reminded he was just a projected image. “The seal was broken, and Zarkon is now back.” She trembled, finally saying the words she didn’t dare to utter in front of the Paladins. “… I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if we should run to preserve what little we still have, or stay and risk everything.”

Alfor stared into the distance unseeingly. “Long ago, I scattered the Lions of Voltron to keep them out of Zarkon’s hands.” He looked down at his own hands, at the holographic sceptre he still held. “Now I know – it was a terrible mistake, one that cost the universe countless lives.” He looked back at Allura, and his gaze was solemn but proud. “No, daughter, you were right to urge me to fight back then, and now you must _believe_. The five Paladins were assembled, in this hour of need, for a reason. You must fight, and _keep_ fighting, until Zarkon is defeated once and for all.”

He sighed, softly. “Voltron is the universe’s only hope. I would give anything to take this burden from you, but alas, because of my mistake it is yours to bear.”

Allura lowered her head. “I understand, Father.” She kneaded at the ground, claws scraping at the smooth stone. The preservation magic had kept Silver Millennium Castle standing, like a relic of an age long gone, trapped in a glass display case forever more. It had laid untouched for the past 10,000 years – until now.

“Most of my Quintessence was spent sealing my memories into this capsule,” Alfor began, oddly carefully, “but there is enough – just _enough_ , to give you a fighting chance.”

Soft light surrounded Allura, bathing her in a shower of stars. She stared down at her hands – _Altean_ hands, wrapped around her favourite quarterstaff, just like the last time she’d seen them before she was shoved into the cryopod. Hands, and no longer the paws she’d become reluctantly used to.

“Father –”

“Go, my daughter, and finish what I could not.”

☆☆☆☆☆

It was far easier running on two legs than four.

Allura sped through the castle doors, not even stopping when Coran called after her, alarm in his voice. She could sense Zarkon in the distance, a looming miasma of turbulent menace over the horizon, peppered with the little pinpricks of light that were her Paladins. He’d already found them.

She wanted to go to their aid, for Coran had been right – they were but Earthlings, and Earthling _children_ at that, barely old enough for their first undulled blades, much less something as heavy – and as unrelenting – as this destiny.

But King Alfor’s voice sounded in her head, once more.

_They were chosen for a reason._

Allura took a deep breath and altered her course. There was a far nearer target, and the Blades of Marmora wouldn’t be able to handle _her_ particular brand of magic for much longer.

☆☆☆☆☆

“This is insane!” Pidge shrieked, leaping away from a blast, missing several notes. “Can’t he stop attacking for _one minute_ so that we can figure this thing out?”

Lance cursed as she stumbled into him.

“Stay focused!” Shiro called. “We have to work together!”

“It’s not working,” Keith argued, his microphone morphing back into its sword form. “Someone, take over the vocals for me.”

“What?” Lance hit several more arrows in quick succession, risking a glance up from his screen. “What’re you doing?”

“Whatever I can.”

“Keith, _don’t_!” Shiro reached forwards, but Keith had already leapt off the floating platform, and was charging towards Zarkon with his sword raised. He gritted his teeth. “Lance, can you sing while dancing?”

“No _problemo_ –”

“Okay, guys. Let’s try this again. The shields go up when we’re doing it right, we’ve seen it happen.” Shiro darted another look over at Keith. “He’s drawing all of Zarkon’s fire while we practise. We can’t waste this chance.”

“Yes _sir_!”

☆☆☆☆☆

Haggar vanished in a cloud of black smoke, a split second before Allura’s foot would have connected, and reappeared several steps away.

Allura didn’t take that to heart. “May I join you?” she asked briskly, shifting her quarterstaff into an attack position.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kolivan incline his head, as regal as any prince.

“It would be our honour to fight alongside an Altean once more.”

☆☆☆☆☆

“You may have a lion,” sneered Zarkon, “but its power is weak in your fledgling hands.”

Keith shook his hair out of his face, bracing his sword with both hands to meet Zarkon’s strike. Zarkon was _strong_. Each blow was like a hammer threatening to dislocate his arms, forcing him to duck and swerve as much as possible instead of taking him head-on.

“ _Keith_!”

He leapt back from an attack that would probably have taken his head off, fingers flexing on the hilt of his sword.

Instead of pursuing his advantage, Zarkon halted. He stabbed his sword into the ground, staring dispassionately at the five of them, and streaks of violet lightning began whipping around him. He was clearly gathering energy for something big.

Keith scowled, backing away towards the Castle of Lions. “So what do we do now?”

“I – I don’t care what you say, Shiro. I’m panicking now!”

“It can’t end here!” Pidge roared, over the sound of Hunk’s whimpering.

“No! We can do this. We have to believe in ourselves. We can’t give up. We are the universe’s only hope. Everyone is relying on us.” Shiro reached out and caught Keith’s hand, hauling him back onto the platform. “We _can’t_ fail! We _won’t_ fail! If we work together, we’ll win together!”

“You know what’s a good fighting song?” Lance suddenly asked.

“Yeah?”

“ _Bon Jovi_.”

They exchanged determined looks.

“Let’s do this.”

“Now let’s put an end to Zarkon, once, and for _all_.”

“ _YEAH!_ ”

☆☆☆☆☆

Allura ducked under a bolt of black lightning, cursing quietly as her quarterstaff again struck air. Ulaz leapt over her head, hoping to strike a surprise blow, but Haggar vanished in a swirl of robes just in time to avoid him.

She _hated_ Haggar’s teleportation ability.

The witch was a mere handful of steps away, as though mocking their collective inability to land a single hit so far.

That didn’t seem to deter the Blades. Thace darted forwards, an adder poised to strike. His weapon crackling with cosmic power, turning the knife in his hand into a longsword at the very last moment, forcing Haggar to take another step back –

Another knife sliced through the air, curving like a metal boomerang, and this time Haggar _shrieked_ –

A chance!

Allura sprang from her crouch, and slammed the butt of her staff directly into Haggar’s stomach. A circle swing, using the inertia to slam Haggar onto the ground, and then –

“You will never again destroy another innocent world,” snarled Kolivan, and he buried his knife to the hilt into Haggar’s chest.

☆☆☆☆☆

The very ground trembled beneath their feet, a rippling seismic shock travelling as far as the eye could see, until it felt as though the entire Moon was about to break apart.

“ _NO!_ ”

☆☆☆☆☆

“Paladins? Paladins!”

“Princess!” Coran shouted back, waving his arms frantically. “We’re all alive!”

“Oh, _thank_ the ancients.”

☆☆☆☆☆

“I guess this is it, huh?” Matt grinned, putting his sister in a headlock, ignoring all of Pidge’s attempts to escape.

“Good job, kid.”

“Thanks, Dad!” gasped Pidge, finally wriggling out of Matt’s arms. “I’m just so glad the two of you are okay.”

“Good work, Paladins!” Allura added.

Lance whistled. “It’s nothing at all for a pretty lady like you. You know, they called me the _Tailor_ , because –”

“You can sew?” Allura started pulling piles of costumes out of literal thin air. Her eyes were sparkling.

Lance took several steps back hastily, taking refuge behind Keith.

“Well done,” Coran agreed, “defenders of the universe.”

“Defenders of the Universe, huh?” Shiro repeated, smiling. “That’s got a nice ring to it.”


End file.
